Originally, bows and other decorative arrangements were made by hand. This time-consuming and tiring operation limits not only the quantity, but also the quality of the bows or other decorative arrangements. Skilled operators become more proficient with practice, but their ability to produce substantial quantities of such decorative arrangements is limited. The process of making bows by hand is difficult, if not impossible, for the unskilled operator to master with any degree of quality and quantity.
Various attempts have been made to assist bow makers. These have included devices comprising long nails protruding from a wooden board to crude devices, or patterns, made of metal with metal prongs. It is also known to make devices and forms that assist in creating bows from fabric or other fabricating material such as ribbons. These devices fall into two categories. The first category consists of large, complicated, expensive commercial machines such as that illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 4,449,652 to Coppins, the prices of which are out of reach of the average individual or small businesses such as florists. The second category consists of small and inexpensive devices and forms such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,870 to Capstick and U.S. Pat. No.4,651,908 to Ford. However, these latter devices suffer from the disadvantage that they limit the creativity and applications of the user because they generally make only one (or a few) size(s) and type(s) of bows or other decorative arrangements. Furthermore, the bows or decorative arrangements made with these devices and methods require wire, glue, or other means to maintain their shape and configuration. No known prior art apparatus for making bows or other decorative arrangements is adjustable such that the bows or other decorative arrangements may be constructed in a variety of shapes and sizes. Furthermore, so far as known, no prior device that allows the bow or other decorative arrangement to be made using materials of various widths is available. Finally, prior devices typically limit the size of each individual loop of the bow or other decorative arrangement. As a result, the variety of designs which may be constructed using such devices is limited.